Our Mission:
Digital Explorations supports small-community efforts to ease the rural digital divide. We create open-learning opportunities for individuals by establishing Centers for Community Digital Exploration—”third places” where people from across the community gather to explore the impact of social media and the Web on their lives at home and in the world. We also offer workshops and consultation on storytelling and social media to enhance community civic engagement, and sustainability, and to strengthen the bonds and bridges within and between rural communities.
What we believe:
- Employing social and expressive media practices strengthens bonds and bridges between people and communities;
- Bringing together individuals, local informal and formal groups and institutions within a downtown third place enhances a sense of community;
- Coming together within an informal place of creative exploration develops reciprocal apprenticeships across community divides, offers new ways to approach lifelong learning, builds local creativity, and provides opportunities for collaborative planning for the community’s future.
What we offer:
- Long-term partnerships with rural communities developing local Centers for Community Digital Exploration
- Workshops on storytelling and social media practices
- Consultation to nonprofits, foundations and communities on storytelling and social media
- A team of experts available for speaking and writing on emerging media practices and approaches
Context:
Digital technology is increasingly utilized in the social, professional and educational spaces of the world, but few communities combine the powerful practices of in-person active civic engagement and the equally powerful connective, creative and communicative practices of the Web. Local nonprofits and small communities have a deep understanding of towns and cities in our rural areas, yet do not participate fully in the Web practices. Tools abound, simple-to-use and free of charge, and yet it is a baffling process trying to sort out what these tools do, and for whom. We are dedicated to helping rural communities, non-profits and individuals weave together the old and the new, the slow and the fast to create better worlds.
